“Dogs are man’s best friends.” It’s a saying that we are all familiar with. However, some dogs are more than the faithful companions we will remember for years to come. There are some pooches that manage the performance of making history, becoming parts of the memories of many other people aside from their owners. They’ve impressed the whole world, either through deeds that showed immense bravery, either by proving the extent of their loyalty. These are the 8 Most Famous Dogs Of All Time, which are here to prove us all that humans aren’t the only ones capable of incredible achievements.

1. Laika

The first living and breathing creature that managed to break through Earth’s atmosphere wasn’t a human. Laika is undoubtedly the most famous dog in history, for managing to give us all hope that outer space’s boundaries weren’t impossible to cross. Initially a stray dog, she was recruited by several Soviet scientists with the sole intention of being trained for the space program.

After going through intensive training, she was the one selected to board the Sputnik 2 ship which sent her in a place no other dog had ever been before. Unfortunately, spaceships at the time had no “return option,” but Soviet officials ensured us that Laika was peacefully euthanized soon after the level of oxygen started dropping.

2. Hachiko

When a dog has had a statue made to honor it, then you know something truly astonishing must have happened. Hachiko’s statue is in Odete, Japan, his city of origins. Hidesaburo Ueno, his owner, traveled back and forth between Odete and Tokyo via train. Hachiko would go to the train station at a precise hour and, every day, he would wait for him at the entrance. Unfortunately, in May 1925, Ueno didn’t show up anymore, having passed away due to a harsh hemorrhage.

This didn’t make Hackiko’s loyalty waiver since he continued to travel to the train station every day, where he continued to wait for his beloved human. He continued doing this for nine years, only being stopped by death. The Akita Inu was found lifeless in 1935, near the vicinity of the Shibuya station.

3. Appollo

Appollo was only one of the 350 search-and-rescue dogs that became heroes of the tragic terrorist attacks of 9/11. He and his human partner Peter Davis relentlessly searched for survivors for as much as 16 hours every day. The missions of the SAR police officers and their dogs have been documented by Animal Planet, which noted that the dogs seemed equally heartbroken as their partners when they found victims.

The SAR teams, Appollo included, saved numerous lives in the aftermath of the attacks, and they have undoubtedly become heroes worthy of being celebrated in years to come.

4. Lex

Lex and his partner, Marine Corps Cpl. Dustin J. Lee, were stationed in Fallujah, Iraq. When an explosive attack was launched on their camp, Lee lost his life and Lex suffered serious injuries. The truly amazing part of this story is the fact that the German shepherd refused to leave the side of his deceased soldier, despite being in need of urgent medical examinations. The medics had to forcefully pull him away from Lee’s body in order to treat his wounds. Having been left unable to continue his duty for the Marines, Lex became the first working military dog that was permitted a premature retirement. He was adopted by Jerome and Rachel Lee, and then became a therapy dog, visiting war veterans in hospitals and helping them with their healing process. Lex died aged 13 in 2012.

Having been left unable to continue his duty for the Marines, Lex became the first working military dog that was permitted a premature retirement. He was adopted by Jerome and Rachel Lee and then became a therapy dog, visiting war veterans in hospitals and helping them with their healing process. Lex died aged 13 in 2012.

5. Benji

Unlike his other canine fellows on this list, Benji was a fictional hero on the big screens. The 1974 movie Benji melted the hearts of audiences by telling the story of a mixed-breed pooch that went to great lengths to save two kidnapped children. The part was played by a pup named Higgins, who’d been adopted from the Burbank Animal Shelter. Amazingly, Benji’s impact didn’t stop here since over a million dogs were adopted in the year when Benji’s fame was at its peak.

6. Toto

I’m sure there’s hardly any need to explain Toto’s origins because most of you probably already know. This definitely says a lot about the influence the small mutt has had on the world. Known as Dorothy’s dog in the popular movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, Toto was such an iconic figure that over 30% of small dog breed owners have named heir pooches after him. The real life star behind the fictive pup was a 5-year-old terrier named Terry, whose career in the movie industry continued to flourish beyond the success of The Wizard of Oz.

7. Bobbie

This Collie lived the real life version of Lassie’s story, proving an unshakeable devotion to his family. In 1923, Bobbie was traveling alongside his family, having gotten separated from them at some point. Although his owners turned the world upside down in their searches for him, they eventually had to give up and return home. “Giving up” wasn’t a concept understood by Bobbie, who traveled over four thousand kilometers all across the United States in his quest to return home. Six months since his disappearance, the family found Bobbie on their doorstep, clearly worn out from his long journey.

8. Smoky

Despite its small size, this Yorkshire terrier was a true WWII survivor. She was found in 1944 by Cpl. William A. Wynne, who immediately grew fond of her. The two of them became inseparable, sharing everything from food ratios to sleeping bags. Smoky managed to elude over 150 air raids, also surviving a destructive typhoon in Oklahoma.

Moreover, she saved the lives of her owner and his comrades on multiple occasions with her fine danger detection senses. With her help, the soldiers managed to stop in time many incoming fires. Smoky became a mascot of WWII, for her incredible ability to beat odds and be a survivor, and she is considered today as one of the first therapy dogs on record.

These 8 Most Famous Dogs Of All Time have shaped history forever, but if you think about it, every dog is the personal hero of its owner.

Sometimes, all you need is love and no love is purer than the love of an animal. In the following, you will find 10 famous animals of the past.

Some of them are famous for traveling hundreds of miles, while others were simply known for being the last one of their kind. However, all of these animals were known for being different and this is why we still remember them today.

10. Nancy

Nancy was a Springbok and the mascot of the South African Infantry Regiment and is the only animal in military history to be buried with funeral honors. The mascot of the 4th Regiment had an exciting life and dies because of pneumonia during the winter of 1918.

9. Marjan

Marjan was a ferocious lion which lived in Kabul Zoo along with his playmate and life companion, a lioness named Chucha. After killing a man who snuck into his cage, Marjan was brutally attacked with three grenades placed in his den by the victim’s brother. Many animal activists and organization donated money to try saving the lion which lost his eyesight, all his teeth and remained disabled after the attack, which made him famous worldwide. Marjan died of old age in 2002.

8. Xiang Xiang

Xiang Xiang was the first giant panda to taste freedom after a lifetime of captivity. He was born in captivity in 2001 and was released in 2006 after enduring a full training regimen meant to equip him will all the necessary skills to survive alone, in the wild. However, Xiang Xiang was found dead not even a year after his release, in 2007. The cause of death is believed to be the falling from a tree.

7. Huberta

Huberta is one of the most famous animals in the South African history. The hippopotamus traveled 1600 km from St. Lucia Estuary to Eastern Cape and was initially named Hubert, as people who saw the hippo on its journey believed it was a male. Unfortunately, Huberta was shot and killed by hunters a month after her arrival in East London in 1931.

6. Lonesome George

Lonesome George was the last living member of the Pinta Island tortoise and became known worldwide after becoming an internet meme. Several attempts were made to try finding Lonesome George a suitable mate of a different subspecies but with no success. Lonesome George died of old age in 2012.

5. Elsa

Elsa was a lioness born in Kenya and raised by George and Joy Adamson along her two sisters. She was the only one of the three lionesses to be released into the wild and thought to live on her own. The life of Elsa was documented and you can watch it through the movie Born Free from 1966.

4. Snowflake

Snowflake was one of the most popular attractions of the Barcelona Zoo, in Spain and one of the most famous albino animals in human history. The albino gorilla was captured in 1966 and he was only 2 years old when his capturer killed his entire group, which were normal in color. He lived in Barcelona until 2003 and died at the impressive age of 39 years, after being diagnosed with a form of skin cancer.

3. Laika

Laika the dog was the first animal to be launched into Erath’s orbit. The dog was a stray picked up from the streets of Moscow and was the sole occupant of the Sputnik 2 spacecraft. Little was known about the impact spaceflight would have on humans so scientists were reluctant whether or not it was the time to send people in outer space, so they chose to first send animals instead. Laika’s death is still a cause of controversy since people are still not sure about what actually caused her death in 1957: lack of oxygen, overheating or euthanasia.

2. Christian

Christian the lion was purchased by John Rendall and Anthony Bourke from a department store in London. After the two raised the lion until he was one year old, they released him into the wild. After Rendall and Bourke became certain that Christian’s reintroduction into the wild was a success, they have decided to visit him to see if the lion still remembered them. Surprisingly enough, after a year of being in his natural habitat, Christian ran to his former owners and hugged them as if they were never separated. Two other reunions took place in 1971 and 1973 after the two men decided to stop interfering in Christian’s new life.

1. Hachiko

Hachiko was a dog born in the Akita breed and he lived between 1923 and 1935. Hachiko is porbbaly the most famous dog in the world because he waited for his owner for nine years until he finally passed away. Hachiko was used to wait for his owner, Hidesabur? Ueno every day in Shibuya Station. One day, Ueno died of a cerebral hemorrhage and never returned to the train station. The loyal dog remained in the station nine more years, waiting for his master. Since the dog’s death in 1935, a ceremony is held every year on the 8th of April in Tokyo’s Shibuya station, to honor the loyal companion.